Roger Ellis

The Hamburg Kinsgmen went coed in 1972 with a saber line of five ladies. In 1973 all sections went coed. My first wife Virginia was the first female horn player to join for the 1973 season.

Hi Keith. I could not agree more. I joined Bugles Across America and subsequently got involved with the Sarasota National Cemetery Advisory Board directly as a result of Tom's efforts to publicize the organization.

Dizzy Dean said (paraphrasing) - It ain't bragging if you can back it up. We will see if they can back it up.

Hey Gary. I can't help you with this one - I was never a Black Knight. I was an Interstate Ambassador. The Black Knights and Cornplanters merged to form the Interstate Cavaliers (1966) and the Interstate Cavaliers and the Olean Ambassadors merged to form the Interstate Ambassadors (1967). I can tell you that the summer of 1967 was an interesting time for a 17 year old guy loose with that corps during the Summer of Love. There were some colorful characters in that corps, including a number of Native Americans from Salamanca, and it was a LOT of fun! There was a bar we used to go to in Salamanca that had 15 cent drafts, and I never got ID'ed no matter where I went in NY.

Never in my personal experience in senior drum corps. I would not be associated with an organization that was involved in this kind of despicable treatment of its members. Most drum corps work hard at creating an environment that will be attractive to new members.

Rochester Phoenix - short lived (1975 and 1976) but something to see (and to compete against).

One of the best recruiting videos I have ever seen - well done! I especially liked the part that talked about (paraphrasing) "Do you remember what it is like to step on the field"?

Hard to believe - a DCA show in Frost Proof Fl and none in Rochester or Syracuse. Never thought I would live to see the day. On the plus side, I only live 100 miles from Frost Proof.

This is indeed sad news. I first met Harry when I was a photographer and writer for Drum Corps News back in the 1970's. He and Andy Uzarins (Udzarins?) took me under their wing and taught me a lot about how to do a better job of providing content for the paper. I had contact off and on for many years with Harry, both at shows and in the context of contributing to Drum Corps World. RIP.

They also appear to be heavily armed based on the gun raffle list that Gary posted:))

Has the location of the meeting been established?

Hey Tom. Sorry to hear about your health problems. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and good health in the new year.

That is really not the point. I could pick out a group of 18 year and 19 year-olds who would not have a PRAYER of marching that show because they are lazy and out of shape. The point is - it is not about age, it is the ability to get the job done - period. You have to be able to walk the talk, no matter what your age is.

Hi Frank. You brought up a point that I failed to include in my previous post, but should have - the mental aspects and the off-field preparations that are so important to success on the field. As I mentioned earlier, I marched a full field show at age 50 (Mellophone) with the 2000 Skyliners. I found by August first that my biggest challenge was not physical, but mental. You have to prepare yourself mentally to keep pushing each week, working to continuously improve right up to and including the Labor Day weekend.

Every day I see people half my age who are so obese and out of shape that they can barely walk. The issue is not age (and never really has been), it is physical condition. I started marching in senior corps at the age of 16. To me, at that time, guys who were 30 seemed ancient (who else remembers the "don't trust anyone over 30" mantra of the 60's)? As the years went on on and my involvement in the activity continued, my perspective began to change. I marched in a top 10 DCA Finalist corps in 2000 (New York Skyliners) at the age of 50 and had zero issues keeping up with the program. Several other horn players that year were as old or older (Lou Marshello, playing soprano, was about 63 that summer). We certainly weren't "intimidated" by the experience as one other poster put it. My bottom line - judge me on how I march and play, not when I was born.

I came to know Althea when we marched together in Skyliners several years ago. I will confess that I was not aware of her long association with the Buccaneers. Congratulations on your selection, Althea!

Like many in the activity, my path crossed Pepe's, albeit briefly. I went on a Drum Corps Hall of Fame cruise in the late 1980's with my mom. Pepe was working with Empire Statesmen at the time and he was along on the cruise. Pepe struck up a conversation one day with my mother and was very kind to her for the rest of the trip. Another image that is seared in my mind is Pepe and Gus "Cosmo" Barbaro dancing arm and arm with each other, dressed in drag, in one of the lounges - not only was it hilarious, but you should have seen the looks on the faces of some of the civilians that were on the cruise:)) At the end of the cruise all of the folks who were traveling in the Drum Corps Hall of Fame group were waiting together in an auditorium for about an hour for the ship to be released from customs before we departed. Pepe regaled us with stories about his early years with the Skyliners - traveling on trains to competitions - pranks pulled on each other and other corps - etc. He was a great guy who knew how to enjoy life - we could all take a lesson from that. He didn't live as long as some of us have, but he lived a lot while he was here.

A blast from the past - the Summer of Love (1967). I marched in the July 15th Hornell NY show in the corps that played exhibition (Olean NY Interstate Ambassadors). That show sticks in my mind because it was an all-girl corps show with six competing corps. Great night for a 17-year old guy:))

The Brigs competed at (and won) the first drum corp show that I ever marched in (Erie PA - June 1966). I was present at DCA prelims in 1973 as a member of the Hamburg Kingsmen when the Brigs attempted, and failed, to remain a part of DCA. I was present at the first performance when the corps came back from the dead (Dunkirk NY indoor show - 1992?) and I competed against the Brigs in their prime in 2000 as a member of the NY Skyliners. I could not be happier to see this legendary corps back in competition - best wishes for a great 2012.

The year I finished college (1971) I went to work in the Buffalo NY area. I had friends who were members of St. Joe's of Batavia and of the Hamburg Kingsmen (guys I had marched with when I was in high school). I saw some of them at DCA in Rochester that Labor Day weekend, and the guys from Joes asked me what I was going to do next summer (1972) meaning with respect to drum corps. I told them I was going to march with Hamburg, and they said "Come and march St. Joe's instead". I told them I was going to be 22 in a few weeks, and they said "So what, we're all still marching" - and they were all overage. Being raised to respect rules and authority, I declined their offer and went to Hamburg. What happened to Joes the next summer (sadly) is a matter of historical record. The Getzville Suburban nights were much closer to where I lived (I drove right by them to get to Hamburg) and Rochester Crusaders were only another 15 or 20 minutes farther than Hamburg, but I went to the Kingsmen because of the relationships I had with several of the members and staff, including brass legend Ed Cozzolino.

I read through this thread twice and I cannot figure out what tribute you are talking about. Is it on the Internet? If so, please post a link. Thanks.

Trash cans and trash can lids during the Traffic Jam sequence - Skyliners 2000

It seems to me that there is a parallel between what Cadets2 may (will?) do to the competitive landscape in DCA, and what Star United has already done to the DCA Mini-Corps competition. I spent some time yesterday reviewing the bios of the players in Star United. One could make an argument that their lineup is virtually a group of professional or good-enough-to-be-professional musicians based on how many of them play professionally, played in Blast, teach music at the college or some other level, etc. etc. On the other hand, they aren't breaking any rules. As Jeff Gibbens said (probably more than once when I was playing with the Erie Thunderbirds), "Don't bring any weak sh&*! (rhymes with hit). Lots of corps have one or two of these type players - it is a rare corps that figures out how to fill the entire line with them. An example of what I mean is Joey Pero. I saw him as a pre-teen playing with St. Joe's Alumni, competed against him in Mini Corps when he played with Ghost Riders, loved his performances with Empire Statesmen, and watched him grow into a premier professional player who still digs drum corps. Another example is Jeff Gibbens, who was a prime force behind the long string of Mini Corps championships won by the Erie Thunderbirds. I had no problem riding his broad professional-quality horn player back to a championship in 2002, nor did I have a problem competing against a college-age Joey Pero that year (Ghost Riders). The only issue that I have with Cadets2 is the upper age limit.

Hi Tom. Best wishes in your "retirement". Dave has some big shoes to fill. I have always appreciated your level-headed, well reasoned answers on behalf of DCA to questions and issues that people have raised over the years in this forum. I took note of your comment about working to improve your health, which is fantastic. Will we see you on TV winning the Biggest Loser:))

This is a great idea for a thread. Based on my experience living in Florida, there may not be a lot of activity here for a while. When the power goes out, the computer doesn't work so well:))